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NSW's Transit Tcard gets a second chance
This contribution has been submitted to Webdiary by a student in the Online Journalism unit for the Masters in Media Practice and Masters in Publishing courses at The University of Sydney as part of the unit's assessment. The topics covered in the pieces awaiting publication are interesting – and diverse. We hope that Webdiarists will enjoy reading them, as well as giving these aspiring journalists plenty of constructive commentary.
NSW's Transit Tcard gets a second chance
by Kacie Bluhm
If at first you don’t succeed, try try again.
It looks like NSW’s transit system is trying, again, to implement the Tcard after a disastrous first attempt which resulted in a $250 million lawsuit with their contracted partners, the ERG Group.
The Tcard, a new ticketing system for
The Tcard moves transport ticketing into the entirely electronic realm, even claiming the eventual possibility for mobile phone ticketing. While innovative in its concept, the drastic change has many commuters worried. One of the major problems with Tcard’s first trial was a card reader crash so frustrating for bus drivers it led to a Tcard boycott.
Commuters remain sceptical about seeing the positive effects of the Tcard anytime soon.
“They can’t even get the magnetic ticketing to work all the time, and how long has that been around?” Natalie Mclean, a
“It will be years and years before they get a system that complex to work correctly. Until then, it will just be a hassle,” says
John Watkins, the NSW Minister for Transport told the Sydney Morning Herald that there is an “urgent” need to upgrade ticketing machines and the comfort of regular commuters would be taken into consideration. The new machines would be gradually integrated in, their older counterparts only being removed “after the customers who currently use them have adopted the new electronic ticket."
Some commuters think the government is wasting their time with ticketing and should look to improve upon other aspects of the industry. “I think there are bigger concerns than ticketing,” Says Hannah Ammouri, a casual transit user. “They should have used that money to make more bus lines, or get newer trains, or how about increasing safety? They should start listening to the complaints of the riders. Ticketing is working just fine.”
Either way, the NSW government has a lot of trust to regain with its people after the Tcard’s infamous first run.
To find out more about the Tcard’s progress visit NSW Public Transport Ticketing Corporation
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Failure = no faith in public transport
I think the failure of the T-card comes down to this: most Sydneysiders have lost all faith with the public transport system.
The state governments attempts to manage the NSW transit system would be comical, or farcical, to me if they had not left me stranded in the middle of the night (just last week), made me late countless times, overcharged, etc.
It baffles me that the NSW government is allowed to raise fares each year, higher than the rate of inflation, for a service that never improves. In recent months I have truly come to believe that the state government has absolutely no idea what they are doing when it comes to public transport (and roads for that matter).
There are so many problems with public transport that naming them would be futile. We all know what they are. It is foolish for the state government to think that the public will dish out their money week after week for a system that has a track record for not only failure, but completely screwing their customer.
Anyway, great article Kacie, and really relevant. Public transport in Sydney really riles me anyway!
T Card
Hi Kacie, Really liked this piece. I thought the background information was ample enough for someone like me who has only been in Sydney for around 8 months.
I like the quotes which you have pulled. It would good if you could get a quote from someone who has expertise in the transportation industry.
Personally I do believe that such the electronic card could succeed in Sydney. We have the likes of the T-card being implemented successfully in Hong Kong and in Singapore where it is known as the EZ Link. The EZ Link card can be used to buy food at McDonald's if I remember correctly.
Anyway, this is something Sydney could study and adapt from these two countries. And I believe that part commuters and workers need to get used to the system instead of being 'pampered' and remaining in their comfort zone. As with all new systems, you need some time to finetune them. I do hope that fares will go down with this new system though.
On a side note: coming from Singapore where our metro run at a frequency of 2 to 4 minutes peak, and 6 to 8 minutes off peak, with most bus services running at a frequency of 10 to 12 minutes peak, it is frustrating to take the public transport in Sydney. Not with so many people paying cash and the driver having to give them change, then punch out a ticket and hand it to the customer. Scrap this system! It adds unnecessary delay to the journey!
And the Land Transport Authority in Singapore has begun to roll out information boards which display real-time (estimated) arrival times of buses at selected bus stops. It makes use of the GPS if I am not wrong. When can we see such a roll out in Sydney?
Copy-cat systems?
Hey Kacie, did you find any information about Sydney looking to other major cities to replicate systems that work? I have lived in London and the Oyster Card (the card used for the London Tube) seems to be more effective than the weekly and travel ten cards. I have done a bit of thinking about this issue, however, and the Oyster Card as a direct replica wouldn't work. I think it is going to have to go beyond just changing the type of travel card...it is going to be a complete change in how we travel.
Also, is there anything being said about updating the current travel systems? You mentioned that patrons would be more interested in more train/bus lines, etc., but did you find any information regarding this?
Great points made. I think that Sydney travelers are itching for something to change...how the transit system responds to this will be interesting to watch.
Cheers!
Public transport
Heidi Cassell: "Is the NSW Transit System part of the Sydney Govt? Who is the brains behind this operation?"
For your information there have been no brains behind that operation for years, and the half-wit that was running it is now the Treasurer for Gods sake.
Public transport
Kacie, I enjoyed your article. I thought the flow was smooth and the scope was reasonable. The only thing I had trouble with were some of your quotes. I wasn't sure who they were coming from. i.e.
“They should have used that money to make more bus lines, or get newer trains, or how about increasing safety? They should start listening to the complaints of the riders. Ticketing is working just fine.”
and
“after the customers who currently use them have adopted the new electronic ticket."
The links were a nice addition as well as the multiple sources. This topic is very relevant to a lot of Australians. Personally, I rely on public transportation for everything. And, I agree that upgrades and changes are probably not going to go as smoothly as the govt thinks. I can just imagine massive issues being presented once it goes into effect.
Is the NSW Transit System part of the Sydney Govt? Who is the brains behind this opperation? I mean to say, who can I blame when this goes into effect and is chaotic?
Cheers!
Fiona: Oh dear, Heidi - where to start? The NSW Transit System is the responsibility of the State of New South Wales. Have a look at the "State Politics" category in the left sidebar and you may find some interesting material ...